Microbreweries in Sydney's Inner West Will Soon Be Able to Operate as Bars

Home to plenty of Sydney's craft brewers, the city's inner west is now also home to a trial that will allow microbreweries to open as bars.

In good news for outfits such as Young Henrys, Wayward Brewing, Malt Shovel, Grifter Brewing and Batch Brewing Company, a new type of liquor authorisation will be available to craft brewers in the area from September. Applicable across a range of boozy beverages — beer, spirits, liqueurs and cider — it'll enable them to serve drinks as if they were a small bar. They'll have to abide by a patron limit of 100 people per establishment, as well as a requirement to make food available.

"Microbreweries don't neatly fit into traditional liquor licence categories, so there's a need to develop a new model suited to them," said New South Wales Minister for Racing Paul Toole. "The rising popularity of boutique and craft beers, ciders, spirits and liqueurs is creating new demand for enjoying drinks produced on the premises. A lot of people like the concept of being able to sample high-quality locally made drinks and speak directly with the passionate experts who produce them."

If the trial is successful over the next 12 months in the Inner West Council area, it could be rolled out across the city and the state. The area was chosen because it boasts the highest density of microbreweries not only in Sydney, but in Australia.